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Korg

Crave giveaway: Korg digital MicroPiano

First off, congrats to Dean N. of Parsippany, N.J., who won a LifeProof iPhone 4 case in last week's Crave giveaway. And now...

While grand pianos have a, well, grandly elegant quality, not everyone has the grand budget--or the grand space--to accommodate one. That's why we're humming a happy tune about this week's freebie, the Korg MicroPiano, a compact, portable digital piano with grand-piano panache (complete with opening lid).

This little piano that could measures 30.79 inches long by 11.46 inches wide by 5.47 inches deep and weighs just 11.5 pounds, but you can produce all manner of musical genius via its 61-key minikeyboard, 60 built-in sounds, and 25 one-touch musical phrases. For roving pianists, it has built-in speakers and optional battery power, but given that it produces "robust and authentic stereo-sampled grand piano sound," according to Korg, you might want to keep it out of the library.

Korg has been around since the '60s and is considered a well-respected musical brand. Normally, its MiniPiano would cost you $499.99, but you have the chance to score it for a cool zero. So, how do you try to win this week's prize to become the hippest pianist in the 'hood? Let us enumerate the basic rules. Please read carefully; there will be a test--in the key of A Minor. … Read more

Wavedrum Mini turns anything into an instrument

If you're the nervous type with percussive fingers or like to play "air drums" on your lap, Korg's Wavedrum Mini might rock your world.

The update to the classic Wavedrum has a drum pad that can be strapped to the player's thigh, as well as a sensor that clips onto almost anything, turning a bottle of water, for instance, into a melodious shaker.

As seen in the video below, the synthesizer pad produces a different sound depending on where and how hard it's hit.

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The pad has 100 sounds, 100 rhythms, and 10 effects, such as chorus and reverb, and can record overdubbed loop tracks of up to 25 seconds.

The clip sensor can attach to a tabletop, turning it into an instant drum kit for drum dabblers or percussionists on the go. If the sensors were wireless and the pad could receive multiple inputs, you could stick them all over the room and just thrash about.

The Wavedrum Mini goes on sale in July in Japan; the price hasn't been announced yet. … Read more

The '80s return with a DS synthesizer

Some people are never satisfied with the Nintendo DS. Despite all its success over the years, various gamers can't wait to give it an overhaul, whether it's a Guitar Hero mashup or some ungodly Swarovski treatment.

Korg and AQ Interactive, however, are at least coming up with a new use for the handheld that isn't completely bizarre. (Whether there'll be a demand for it is another matter.) The two are partnering to develop a virtual version of the Korg MS-10--the vintage synthesizer of the big-hair '80s--specifically for the DS.

And lest you think this … Read more

Korg Mini Kaoss Pad audio clips

Last month I wrote about the release of Korg's mini, battery-powered version of their Kaoss Pad audio effects processor. Well, I finally got my hands on one, and I'm happy to report it is every bit as cool as I had hoped. To refresh your memory, the Korg Mini Kaoss Pad is a palm-sized, battery-powered effects processor that lets you warp and remix any stereo line signal. My full review (with video) of the Mini Kaoss Pad posted on CNET this week, but it didn't have any audio samples to let you hear what it can do. … Read more

iPod mutilator

When pro-audio manufacturer Korg announced that they'd be making a palm-sized, battery-powered version of their long-beloved Kaoss Pad effects processor the first thing I thought of was using it as a portable iPod effects box or just having one permanently integrated into my home stereo system.

The Kaoss Pad has been a mainstay of DJs and electronic musicians for years. It's a touch pad that lets you use your fingers to apply sound effects to an incoming audio signal. If the idea of mutilating your music collection with pitch-shifting and dub delay effects sounds like a fun way … Read more